This Grief

I thought I knew "Grief," having spent some time with her in past years. But this is not the Grief I remember.

This Grief seems crueler, stronger, even vindictive. She pops up most unexpectedly--in a book, during a song, while I'm sorting laundry or running errands. She greets my silent tears with disdain.

This Grief seems larger than I remember her. Sometimes she looms so large she blocks out the sun and her shadow touches everything. And every thing that her shadow touches, it spoils. I fear I will never be able to hear that song, visit that place or smell the fragrance of those flowers again without her presence.

Wearily, I go through the motions of life. In the distance, there is another shadow-a shadow in the shape of a cross. And I know that all I can do is cling to the base of that cross. Under the cross, Grief cannot touch me because here is Grace---Grace that can erase and obliterate all the remorse and regrets and accusations that Grief can throw at me.

Some Things at the Great Salt Plains State Park

Part II of our Boy Scout Adventure

Some things we saw:

the glow of a lantern inside a tent
a great blue heron
a flock of pelicans on the river
several big raccoons who intended to ravage our campsite

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Some things we heard:

an owl
a group of noisy scouts--in the campsite across the swamp
the trickle of water in a little stream
birds chirping and pelicans quacking (if indeed pelicans quack)

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Some things we tasted:

quesadillas with rotel tomatoes
chai tea
red beans and rice (I didn't know they could taste that good!)
bacon, sausage and eggs

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Some things we smelled:

let's not go there

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Some things we said:

"What are you looking for with that metal detector?"
"Metal"

"The pelican, the pelican
Its beak can hold more than its belly-can."

"we ought to 'debrief' after this camp out"

"There's a spider in the bathroom!"
"Then go in the girls' bathroom..."
"That's where the spider is!"

"What are you writing?"
"You know my blog doesn't just write itself."

"The way you can tell if a person is a real minister is to quit paying him."

"Be quiet."

"Bacon is a thing of beauty."

"The really successful people aren't the people we put on pedestals."

~~~~and my favorite quote of the whole weekend~~~~

"Take the spoon out from under your arm, and come here and cook!"

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Treasure at Great Salt Plains State Park

Part I of our Boy Scout Adventure

Sprouting like mushrooms, the tents popped up all over the glen. Two cub scouts, six boy scouts and six adults occupied the campsite and those seven tents.

Among the men and boys:

There was the boy who knew his way around a frying pan and the one who was not afraid to get his hands dirty. There was the self-acclaimed firestarter and the universally acknowledged leader of (young) men. The chaplain and the cook. There was the bargain hunter and the ultimate salesman. The theologian and the philosopher. There were those who took a shower every day and those who did not. There was the cub scout I only saw at meal times and bedtime and the other cub scout who could hold his own (and then some) with the older boys.The treasure hunter and his assistant. And there was the snorer whose identity was never determined.


And...there were us girls...yeah...but we were determined not to let that get in our way. There was no "pink" at this camp out---no make-up, no mirrors, no fluff. (although I did find some "Sweet Pea" hand lotion in my coat pocket which I was kind enough to share with our scout master who was secure enough in his manhood to use) We pitched tents and hammered stakes. We picked up trash and did our share of K-P (but no more than our fair share.) We dug holes in the Great Salt Plains and discovered crystals. We used latrines without complaint. (although in the interest of complete disclosure, I did catch a ride with some guys to the "nice" bathroom a couple of times) We slept in our clothes, cooked our hotdogs on tree branches and ate food off the ground (okay, these last three are total exaggerations but the point is, we were troopers!)

We went to the Great Salt Plains to discover treasure but we came home with more treasure than the muddy crystals in our buckets. Memories of emerald grass under a sapphire sky, the twin gems of fellowship and friendship, and the numerous nuggets of laughter that were scattered throughout the weekend. But the greatest treasures of all were the glimpses we caught of the fine men our boys are on their way to becoming.